Mike DeStefano passed away on March 6 of this year, of a heart attack, at the age of 43. Some of his friends will get together next month to remember him.

Billed as “An all-star tribute honoring the late Mike DeStefano,” Colin Quinn, Robert Kelly, Rich Vos, Bonnie McFarlane, Eugene Mirman and Roy Wood, Jr. are scheduled to perform Wednesday, November 9th at 8PM at TRIBECA Performing Arts Center in New York City.

It’s presented by CringeHumor.net. Hit their website for further details.

That’s the “Theater Arts” section of the Barnes & Noble in the Summerlin section of Las Vegas. We trekked up there this afternoon to make sure our book was properly displayed. The store was in disarray! They were in the process of moving entire sections to new locations.

In spite of that, we were thrilled when a sales associate located our book and asked us if we’d like to purchase it. “No…” we said. “We’re the authors!” Hey! That was fun! Let’s go to the other B & N on the other side of town and do the same thing! Nah. Enough for one day.

We hear from a local comic that the other location was fresh out… or they couldn’t find it. (Not to worry, he’ll just order one on Amazon.com!) It would not be surprising if we learned they were sold out, considering that they’ll probably only stock one or two initially– then carry more as reviews and other press mentions drive customers. At least it is hoped.

In this day and age, it’s not so important to have all that many in stock, what with online orders and inexpensive shipping and Amazon Prime.

It’s significant that the first thing one encounters when entering this particular B & N is a giant display for the Nook, B & N’s color e-book reader. Too little, too late? We shall see.

Click on the above pic to be taken to the Amazon.com page where you can purchase our book! (And it’s a special URL, because when you click on it, Amazon throws a few pennies our way!)

Greetings, SHECKYmagazine.com readers, regulars, first-timers, robots, all!

It’s Tuesday, Sept. 27. Which means that our book will be available soon… like when the book retailers open their doors on Saturday morning, October 1. We’re all tingly, sorta. We’re not gonna get rich off this book. But we are thrilled that we’ll be immortalized via the printed word, in a book. (Although we hearken back to those articles we read in Wired and other publications that remind us that not even DVD’s or CD’s or even magnetic hard drives are permanent… or immortal. Whatever! It’s immortal enough for us!)

Have we not always endeavored to bring you in on our various adventures? Have we not always tried to give you a bizarre, ringside seat at the oddball experiences that we’ve encountered? Well, maybe we’ll do the same with having our name on a book. A hardback, tangible early 21st century, may-be-one-of-the-last hard copy books about standup ever published through conventional, Gutenberg-style, printed-on-a-page, not-an-Ebook, hold-it-in-your-hands, not-vanity-press-generated book. You can read this in the bathroom. It’s perfect for the e coli-brary™.

Our publishers– both here in North America and in London– have, in their employ, a cadre of decent, sincere people who have been, for some time now, engaged in laying the groundwork for a media blitz– centered on our book– that will have tongues wagging from from Sydney to Mumbai, from London, Ontario, to London, England, from Seattle to Sea World.

But we’ve been doing some grassroots promo of our own, shoving the book in the faces of all whom we encounter and creating press releases and websites and pestering various local, national and international media figures to mention our tome in their ever-contracting “newshole.”

We’re proud of the one-sheets we’ve concocted to promote the book. But we figured we’d need something less conventional, less vanilla to bring the word to our comedy brethren and their business cohort.

So… we climbed onboard the “Downfall Parody” bandwagon!

CAUTION: This video may images too strong for children and pets!

Last week, we got a Google Alert saying that our book had been reviewed…

Our book got its first review. At least we think it’s the first one. It’s by Steve Bennett, the Big Cheese over at Chortle (“The UK Comedy Guide”). He got a copy of our book after we asked/told the folks in the offices of the London publisher of our book– Quintet Publishing– to send a copy over to the folks at Chortle. After all, we’re sure that if Bennett had written a book about standup, he’d no doubt make extra sure that the folks at SHECKYmagazine.com got a copy for review.

The first thing we learned was that our book is called “Comedy Techniques” in the UK! And it has a different cover! Fancy that! We knew the book was going to be distributed worldwide, in different languages, but the idea of different covers or titles took us completely by surprise! (And are they so hung up on religion over there that the word “bible” in the title would tank sales?)

The second thing we learned is that “Comedy Techniques” is an inappropriate title for our book. As is “The Comedy Bible.” But we didn’t choose either one.

The third thing we learned is that it is exceptionally difficult to refrain from “fisking” a review of your book. (“Fisking” is internet slang. It’s a “point-by-point refutation of a blog entry or news story that highlights perceived errors, or disputes the analysis in a statement, article, or essay.” It’s named after an English journalist named Robert Fisk, whose dispatches from the Middle East were ruthlessly torn to shreds, in line-by-line analyses, by bloggers back at the beginning of the last decade.)

Don’t get us wrong. The review isn’t negative. But it’s not a glowing review, either. Folks are entitled to their opinions. (Which is why we made a point of getting a copy to Mr. Bennett in the first place.)  And don’t get us wrong: We aren’t going to fisk every review of the book… in fact the following might as close as we come to doing so ever again!   But there are some odd bits that we can’t let pass.

The opening line:

Comedy Techniques make the bold promise: ‘From improv to stand-up, and from satire to slapstick, here’s an essential guide to get yourself a cult following or mainstream success.’

Well… we didn’t actually make that “bold promise.” The publisher did. We suspect that this is the first of many “bold promises” that we’ll have to answer for. And we suppose that, after a while, we’ll give up. There are two kinds of people in this world: Those that believe all the dopey things that publishers say on a dust jacket or in a press release and those that realize that publishers say all kinds of dopey things on dust jackets and press releases that are not to be believed.

Bennett goes on to say:

It’s more of a Comedy 101, explaining the fundamentals of the art to an almost remedial level. An introduction might be a better description than the ‘resource’ it claims.

And we are okay with that. That is precisely what we thought. We winced when it was dubbed a “complete resource.” It is, after all, only 256 pages. But it is a tremendous introduction. And, while we don’t, as Mr. Bennett rightly points out, “delve too deep,” we nonetheless deliver a basic book on standup in an entertaining fashion. And we provide a lot of basic info, we daresay, in a far more entertaining fashion than it has been delivered in countless other books in the genre.

After a few paragraphs of mild snark, Bennett says:

Although basic, the advice offered by McKim and Skene – both American comedians – is pertinent and reliable. possibly because they’ve merely consolidated information that’s already widely available, not least from online comedy resources where comics hang out, such as Chortle or their own long-running blog, Shecky.

Here we have our usable, excerptable meme-let!

“The advice offered by McKim and Skene… is pertinent and reliable!” Says Chortle.co.uk

We’ll take it! (It’s not unlike the other meme-let that we’ve beaten to death– and rightfully so: USA Today calls SHECKYmagazine “charming, sincere and helpful!”)

Perhaps the review is “saved” by the very last lines:

The book’s most useful advice is surely to just get on and do it: start writing or performing without delay. For the aspiring comic, Comedy Techniques is probably another displacement activity delaying that vital day of action.

Perhaps not. When we were writing the book we imagined our reader countless times. We tried to consider nearly every statement through the eyes of the title’s aspiring comedian. We knew that we were creating a book that advised him or her to “just get on and do it: start writing or performing without delay,” as Mr. Bennett has so correctly discerned. In fact, in the press for the book, we’ve repeatedly said and written that the book is not so much a “how-to” as a “why-to.” We’ve tried to set the reader on a path to determining exactly why he/she wants to do comedy and we’ve been careful to refrain from any specific advice. We’ve sought to give that small push, that slightest bit of encouragement to someone thinking about trying standup. We tried to say that what’s being contemplated isn’t crazy, but could be quite fun and quite illuminating. So often the tone of books and articles that address the wanna-be comic on the precipice are either cavalier (“Give it a try! It’ll be great!”) or unnecessarily ominous (“Be prepared! Otherwise you’ll bomb and embarass yourself!) or overly technical. And, of course, no matter the tone of a book, it can always be a “displacement activity.” But we’d like to think that ours avoids being that.

We got an email here at SHECKYmagazine.com HQ, from “Neil.”  He said:

Everything I read about learning, working in comedy and “how it’s done” makes my asshole squinch up and a voice booms in my head: “You, as you suspected, are worthless. Stop dreaming and pursue that marketing career.” I haven’t even gotten up for the first time yet and I feel like I’ll never have what it takes. I’m also getting a late start at 40. Any tips on how to stop feeling like such a turd sandwich? Thanks.

Are you in luck! We have a whole book full of tips! It’s our book! It’s called “The Comedy Bible: The Complete Resource For Aspiring Comedians!” (And it’s available NOW on Amazon.com by clicking here!)

Of course, if you can wait a few days, it’ll be in the stores (the bookstores, or what’s left of them) on October 1! That’s Saturday.

When you get the book, read it all. But pay particular attention to Chapter 4, the one called “Standup Preparation.” It’s probably the one that is most important to you and the one that may result in you shedding your reservations and hopping up onto that stage for the first time. Good luck!

The winner is in the middle. It’s Ryan Dalton standing behind the “won’t fit in the overhead compartment”-sized trophy. On his right (our left) is Landry, who came in second in the balloting. On his left (our right) is Dave Williamson, who came in third. And that is, quite possibly, the worst picture ever taken of Williamson. (We know it’s not our Fuji FinePix S2950, because other pics, taken over our shoulder with other cameras produced the same result. Ambient lighting? Temporary demonic possession?)

Hey! Look who stopped by! It’s Shang! (Didn’t he usta be Shang Forbes? He dropped the surname when it was no longer useful.) From left to right: Landry, Shang, Corey Manning. Two one-named comics with one two-named comic! What IS Landry doing? (Looks to us like he’s trying to scissor off Shang’s nipple… or taser it. “Don’t taser my boob, bro!”)

All right, then. In the previous post, we alluded to the three-day gap in our WSOC coverage and we promised an explanation. On Monday night, after the dust from the Wildcard shows had settled, The Halves of the Staff dined on steak & eggs over at Mr. Lucky’s in the Hard Rock Hotel. Midway through the meal, The Male Half complained of a headache. We thought nothing of this, as we were dining with Brad Reeder, and, great God almighty, if Brad Reeder doesn’t give one a headache, then who does? (Note to Brad: Let’s put that 2012 date in INK, shall we?) Anyway, about three hours later, The Male Half awoke, sweating, moaning, teeth chattering and complaining about the cold. (It’s in Vegas… the temp is maybe as low as 79 degrees… not a good sign.)

Fast forward a few more hours and TMHOTS is DOWN. A nasty head cold or a “bug” or call it what you like. Dreams of participating in the WSOC golf outing and poker tournament are instantly shattered. Both Halves immediately fret that participation in the WSOC Midnight Bowling outing is out of the question as well. And the seminar that they were scheduled to conduct on Friday at 11 AM is in jeopardy.

TFMHOTS was booked all week at Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club making it devilishly difficult for her to be over at the Alexis Park for much of the week’s festivities. And on Tuesday, she was dealt a temporary career blow that dampened her spirits and made it near impossible for her to hang out with a bunch of comedians who had something resembling hope. Which is why the beginning of their seminar (which they eventually conducted when The Male Half rallied) kicked off with The Female Half saying, “This week, I hate comedy…”

But this isn’t about us. Correction: this isn’t all about us.

It’s about the 101 comics (and a couple dozen more) who traveled to the desert to participate in the second annual World Series of Comedy– those aforementioned folks in the paragraph above… the ones with all that… hope. Hold on… we have a list around here somewhere… Ah… here it is (Scroll past it for the rest of this posting):

Erik Monical
Shadowheart
TEKG
Micah Bleich
Chris Holmberg
Mike Baldwin
Feraz Ozel
Patrick Melton
Bubba Bradley
Tom Van Horn
Ed Hill
Marcus Ryan
Phil Johnson
Chris Valenti
Mike Kennedy

Debbie Praver
Patrick Jaye
Ben Hague
Jamie Ward
Brian Beaudoin
Adam Gropman
Mike Bobbitt
Retha Jones
Andrew Sleighter
Bronston Jones
Derrick J. Stroman
Todd Larson
Scott Porteous
Marc Mulvey
Reg

Mike Thompson
David Conolly
Mark Gonzalez
Michael Harrison
Enrique Smooth
Cody Kopp
Will Lopez
Lizette Mizelle
Ray Harrington
Herricane
John Conroy
Jonna Jarnagin
Jason Harris
Justin McClure
Carly McMenoman

Vic Alejandro
Andy Forrester
Tom E. Morello
Chris Clarke
Jonathan Pfendler
Ryan Dalton
Mike Haun

Brad Tassell
Alien Warrior Comedian
Kabir Singh
Leah Mansfield
Byron Bertram
Tom Sharpe
Ace Guillen

Ralphie Roberts
Steve Scholtz
John Moses
Dave Williamson
Nicholas Anthony
Eric Grady
Saleem

Sean Grant
Nate Weatherup
Marc Takemiya
Jason Dudey
Leif Cedar
Short Bus
Alli Breen

Marcus Harvey
Lars Callieou
Erik Allen
Mia Jackson
Tom Sims
Chris Maddock
Corey Manning

John Little
Joe Fernandez
Sam Norton
Landry
Jason Love
Chris Hegedus
Torian Hughes

Curt Fletcher
Matt Markman
Bethany Therese
Eric Shantz
Denise Ramsden
Zoltan
Kevin Patterson

Franklin Marshall III
Clayton Fletcher
Viet Huynh
Sean Kent
Brandon Vestal
Austin Anderson
Andy Erikson

Of course, there’s a lot of hope, because, at the heart of this whole six-day affair, was a contest. And, at the end of that was a winner. One winner. Which means there were 100… uh… “non-winners,” to put it charitably. So, of course, by necessity, there was a lot of dashed hopes. Night number one produced 37 instant “non-winners” in the space of about six hours (see photo of the Wildcard lineup below), as only eight of the 45 wildcard comics survived to perform in the next round.

So, it then becomes a matter of how to deal with that setback in your remaining hours/days in the desert. For some, it’s simple: They fly/drive home the next day and put the whole experience in their rearview mirror. Others hold their head up and dive into the various activities– structured and unstructured, sanctioned and unsanctioned– and make the most of it.

Eric Shantz arrived Monday but wasn’t scheduled to perform until the 7 PM Friday show. He dealt with all that down time by turning his Alexis Park room into a “hospitality suite”– offering beer and a place to commune, commiserate or strategize (depending on your WSOC status at the time). Shantz also cleverly turned the desk in the corner into a “media table” (just like they have at the big-time festivals!) where comics could place a stack of their biz cards or other promo material for others to collect. These parties, we’re told, were lasting until five in the morning. Only occasionally garnering dirty looks from other hotel guests and sporadic visits from hotel security.

We heard tales of bad behavior. We shall refrain from identifying those who engaged in said behavior to spare them any embarrassment… although, after hearing the stories, we doubt they are capable of such feelings as embarrassment or shame. We must point out that, if, out of maybe 200 or more comics, bookers and assorted others in attendance over six days, it’s possible to count the number of incidents or bad actors using only one hand, then this pack of folks did pretty well.

The overall mood was festive. Admittedly, we missed a giant, gaping chunk at the heart of it because of circumstances beyond our control. But, judging by the feedback we got, nearly everyone was satisfied with their experience. Very little disgruntlement, from what we could tell. (And, believe us when we tell you: If anyone attending a conflagration like this one feels hurt or left out or boned– they let EVERYONE know. Negative word travels fast, borne on a river of alcohol and bile. And happy participants constantly check their own mood and temperament to make sure they they, too, are actually happy and not merely doing a good job of convincing themselves that they are. There will always be minor complaints. But organizers– good organizers– always go out of their way to put out any fires, nip any discontent in the bud, quell any minor hassles before they become major headaches. Especially if the complaining is offered in a constructive manner.

Photo credit: Joe Eberle

We eventually conducted our seminar. Perhaps “seminar” is too weighty of a word. It was more like a “chat.” A chat with the authors of “The Comedy Bible: The Complete Resource for Aspiring Comedians.” We originally planned a dash or two of multi-media and a more structured presentation. That all fell apart, though. We rallied, however, and delivered an hourlong melange of confession, griping, advice, Q & A and encouragement, with more than a few hearty laughs. (In fact, a startling number of laughs for 11 AM!) Feedback was wildly positive and the Halves gladly stuck around afterward for the inevitable 45-minute “spillover”– those one-on-one or two- or three-on-one mini-seminars that continue long after the stage lights go out. One attendee said, and we paraphrase, “I learned a lot, but I’m not sure what I learned.” High praise, indeed! We wanted to avoid any pedantry. We sought to entertain, enlighten and provide some perspective for the folks who were, in some cases, traveling one or two thousand miles to upgrade their status in– or at least change their relationship to– the comedy business.  Oh… and plug our book.

Our book comes out in six days.  Our copy, our only copy… and, for all we know, the only copy in existence… was pawed by a good percentage of the attendees. Of course, that may have had something to do with the fact that we were carrying it with us at all times and we were thrusting into the hands of anyone who faced in our direction. (Not unlike a proud parent who “dazzles” unsuspecting airplane aisle-mates with baby pictures.) Feedback on the book is wildly positive. And we got a lot of inquiries about an autographed copy. We are pondering this and we will announce shortly just how that might come about and how much it might cost. Stay tuned.

Will there be another? Hope so. There’s a “See you next year!” message on the WSOC Facebook page. It takes a mountain of effort to plan an event like the WSOC. And because we moved here in February and hung out a lot (performing and otherwise) at Joe Lowers’ club, we had a front-row seat for a lot of that preparation and planning. It gave us plenty of insight into just how much detail Lowers (and wife Jenny) need to pay attention to. And how many things can go wrong. And how much nerve it takes to convince yourself and others that it’s possible. We imagine that, last night at about 2 AM, it seemed worth all the sweat and the tears. This morning, however, with about 358 days until a possible “next one,” there’s probably some nagging doubt. Of course, tomorrow, with 357 days to go, any doubt will probably vanish. Stay tuned.

BREAKING: The semifinalists just finished competing. In order, they were Alien Warrior, Corey Manning, Denise Ramsden, Landry, Ryan Dalton, Brandon Vestal, Jason Dudey, Dave Williamson.

Advancing to the finals (in just about an hour) will be Landry, Ryan Dalton and Dave Williamson. (That’s the order of finish, by the way.) Congratulations to the winners. And, from what we hear, everyone smoked the room and it was difficult to determine the winners.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

We attended last year’s WSOC as guests of organizer Joe Lowers.  We joked at the time that were imported into Las Vegas to act as “observers” during the competition.  (We weren’t sure what, if any, our function was… but we had a swell time and our coverage can be found here, here, here.)

We looked forward to this year’s WSOC. After all, we live here in Vegas now. And it would be a good opportunity to try out our FujiFilm FinePix S2950 “bridge” camera.

We hung out at the Alexis Park on Monday night and snapped some pics. We also hung out last night (Friday) when what appeared to be the entire WSOC contingent converged on Big Al’s Comedy Club at the Orleans. Those pics are also below. You may notice that there’s a big gap in there… a lot of stuff missing. We’ll explain that in another post. Meanwhile, enjoy the visuals.

Brad Reeder, Marcus Ryan, Eric Shantz

Joe Lowers, Adam Gropman, at the Alexis Park

The Male Half, Will Lopez, The Female Half

Artsy shot… That’s Joe Lowers… singing… a Bob Seeger tune.

The S2950 has a setting for turning beautiful people into oil paintings! In this case, The Female Half and International Sensation Tanyalee Davis!

A panorama shot of the horde at Big Al’s on Friday night.

That’s Edomonton’s Lars Callieou worshipping The Comedy Bible.

It’s Mat Black and Geechy Guy feigning amazement at the Comedy Bible

Lars Callieou, Scott Porteous, Vic Alejandro, Ben Proulx

Ben Proulx finding an inventive way of reading The Comedy Bible

Debbie Praver, Denise Madsen, Jason Dudey

Tanyalee Davis poses with The Comedy Bible as Rob Seven looks on indifferently.

October 1 is the publication date. Of course, it’s available for pre-order now on amazon.com and on BarnesAndNoble.com. We’re excited. And, if you click on the image below, you’ll be able to see a larger image. It’s gorgeous and beautifully designed.

That might be our favorite line from Justin Hegerman‘s appearance on Philadelphia NBC-10′s 10! morning show. Watch the excruciating (and mercifully short) video of his set. He won a contest conducted by local morning radio show host John DeBella and the prize was… this: We must commend host Bill Henley and his co-host (whose name we do not know) for treatign Hegerman with respect and pretty much acknowledging the debacle but minimizing it– in a way they were admitting that the producers screwed up badly by either not approving the material beforehand and making some sort of switch or demanding different material or delaying the appearance.

Hegerman deserves props for plowing through the set. He’s obviously not very experienced, so he dealt with the whole mess with surprising aplomb. (You gotta figure that he wondered if this appearance– on a local television outlet, with only a local viewership– would tank HIS CAREER. Of course, it’s merely a speed bump… a bizarre incident that yields nothing more than a great story to tell– and a great, possibly viral video– and a real “That which does not kill me makes me stronger” experience.) And, of course, he no doubt got some people to come out and see him at Helium that weekend!

We’re reminded of two incidents. The Female Half went on a sixth-grade class trip to the WPVI studios in Philadelphia to witness a broadcast of AM Philadelphia. One of the guests that day was Pincus Leff AKA Pinky Lee. (According to Wikipedia, Leff was “better known as Pinky Lee… an American burlesque comic and host of a children’s television program, The Pinky Lee Show, in the early 1950s.”

Of course, by this time, Lee had been off television for a decade, so the booking was ill-advised. The reaction to Lee’s plaid-clad shtick was less than receptive. (“The kids were fidgety and dismissive,” says the Female Half. “The first thing he did when he sat down to do panel was to complain about having to perform in front of a bunch of kids.” Lee no doubt had hoped that there would have been a studio full of his older fans in the stands.)

The other incident involves The Male Half appearing on KYW-TV’s People Are Talking, then hosted by Maury Povich. A call had gone out through the local comedy community about 48 hours earlier that the producers were seeking local comedians to do two minutes of material to supplement a segment starring Alan King, then on the show to pump a recent project. The Male Half answered the call, did his time, got a half-decent response and stood still while King graciously offered a mini-critique of the set. (It’s still in the press material somewhere– Alan King describes the Male Half as “an egghead comic.”)

So… is anyone here scared of dying? If so, decline the offer from the local television morning show producers. If you’re not scared, set the clock for 4:45 AM, get out your notes, monitor the traffic, get there in plenty of time and prepare for anything. Even dying.

Not on your life.

In an opinion piece on takimag.com written by conservative Canadian blogger Kathy Shaidle, in which Shaidle comments on the recent Katt Williams, we were lumped in with a bunch of other comedy websites who offered rather weak commentary on Williams’ tirade and the subsequent fallout. Titled “Stand Up and Say You’re Sorry,” Shaidle is none too happy about Williams, Tracy Morgan and other comedians caving into pressure groups when they should be unapologetic, “fearless truth-tellers, saying out loud what we’re all secretly thinking and getting away with it.

“Comedians used to make jokes,” Shaidle says. “Now they make amends.”

Ouch. And we agree.

Imagine our surprise, however, when we read this graf:

Laughspin asked whether Williams had acted “patriotic or just racist” with the cloying concern-troll earnestness that’s standard issue at (of all places) websites run by and for comedians. Every week, these sites cover some controversy involving a stand-up and an aggrieved (insert minority group) audience member. I need to remind myself I’m reading Splitsider instead of a Seven Sisters student paper, what with all the hand-wringing about “homophobia,” “misogyny,” “date rape,” and whether or not certain jokes are “appropriate” or “go too far.”

And the word “homophobia” was a link to our recent post about the shabby treatment of Bobby Slayton. In that post, we display nothing resembling hand-wringing. (In fact, the title of the post is “We Won’t Even Bother Commenting!”)

Shaidle must have made a mistake. We’re not purveyors of “cloying, concern-troll earnestness” here at SHECKYmagazine.com. In fact, we’ve been doing exactly the opposite for 12 years– which is one of the things that separates us from the other sites, and which earns us the enmity of some of our readers. (Perhaps Shaidle has mistaken SHECKYmagazine’s reader comments with our commentary. There is quite often no shortage of cloying, concern-troll earnestness from certain of them. But that’s highly unlikely, as Shaidle runs her own blog and has even commented on ours on two or three occasions.)

We dropped a comment on Shaidle’s Takimag.com piece and we’re not expecting any sort of retraction or clarification.

We will say that we left the Katt Williams controversy alone because we knew it would play out in a rather predictable manner and we can only repeat the same things over and over about these incidents so many times.

Were to compose such a posting, however, it would pretty much echo what Shaidle says in Takimag.com. And, except for the indirect slam at us, it’s worth your time to read it. (And, in case you haven’t gotten your fill of insipid nonsense, check out some of the comments below it– 32 and counting, including ours. That sort of reaction is also predictable.)

Actually, Shaidle echoes what we’ve been saying for 12 years or so.

Shaidle sent along an email in which she apologized for the apparent diss. The scare quotes around “homophobia” were meant to indicate that the concern-troll earnestness came not from us but from the people in the Bobby Slayton story that we commented on. We didn’t pick up on that, but we (and she) can see how there might be a bit of confusion. Apology accepted.

He’s baaack.  Andrew “Dice” Clay is featured in a USA Today article that portrays Clay as a nurturing father (to his two sons) and an actor and standup who is mounting a comeback with an appearance (as himself) on Entourage, and discussions with Barry Levinson about an appearance in that director’s film about John Gotti.

The path to the new Diceman has not been without some bumps:

But doing standup club dates here and there wasn’t sufficiently paying the bills, not to mention child-support payments. Last summer, he went to Las Vegas to raise some money through gambling — which he had given up 10 years ago along with smoking cigarettes. He ended up losing more money than he won.

Curiously, there is no mention of the fact that Clay headlined the Versailles Showroom at the Riviera in Las Vegas during that period, then switched briefly to the Hilton just across Paradise Road.

Clay says he “hopes to release a memoir” and that he’ll “need somebody to work with me on it, but it’s time.”

We’re available.

We just obtained an advance copy of our book (“The Comedy Bible: The Complete Resource For Aspiring Comedians”– available for pre-order on Amazon.com!) and it’s beautiful! We knew it would be lushly illustrated and well laid-out, but we’re thrilled at just how handsome it is.

At the very least, Clay should buy a copy for his kid. According to the USA Today piece, 21-year-old Max (Silverstein) is a “budding standup comic.”

A Reuters report says that an intelligence monitoring group called SITE has discovered a threat from an al Qaeda militant against David Letterman.

The militant called on Muslims in the United States to “cut the tongue of this lowly Jew and shut it forever,” the threat against Letterman said, according to a translation by SITE.

Reuters helpfully adds that “The popular late-night television host is not Jewish.”

Of course, this makes no difference to al Qaeda. If you make a joke about the death of a “senior al Qaeda figure,” you are a figurative “Jew” and, therefore, deserving of death and/or hideous disfigurement.

And, by extension, we, as comics, are all deserving of same. (Let’s face it, we’re in a traditionally Jewish profession.)

Speaking of irrational hatred, Andy Dick chose “The Greg Fitzsimmons Show” to label Howard Stern a “shallow, money-grubbing Jew.” And just in case anyone was unclear on where he stood, Dick called Stern a “big fat hook nose” and “miserly.”

Dick cited as the reason for the tirade… oh, why bother? Is there a good reason to call someone a “shallow, money-grubbing Jew?”

What is it about shows hosted by comedians that brings out the hate? Our readers will recall that erstwhile CNN host (and permanent dufus) Rick Sanchez went on an anti-Semitic rant on Pete Dominick’s satellite radio show about 11 months ago.

Can we expect the Anti-Defamation League to call for Andy Dick’s tongue to be cut out? No. That’s not how they roll.

Is there a Muslim word for “boycott?” Hmmm… if there is, it has fallen into disuse over the past six or seven centuries. Too bad. There seems to be a pattern emerging among radical Islamists– skip right over protests and condemnatory statements and go right to the ol’ tongue removal/assassination call. We shall try to keep this in mind the next time someone tries to make an equivalence between Americans for Responsible Television and Shumukh al-Islam. Terry Rakolta is a piker compared to the likes of Zachary Chesser (aka Abu Talhah al-Amrikee). (We’re pretty sure Rakolta never published Ron Leavitt’s home address and urged people to “pay him a visit.”)